Queer Eye season 5 saw Tan France and Bobby Berk put their business expertise to good use. For all their trials and tribulations of getting their own companies up and running, they can now pass on some wisdom to the heroes who feature on the Netflix show.

Of course, there are not two, but five, people who make Queer Eye the incredible show that it is. Transforming heroes' lives on the regular, viewers are surely delighted to see Bobby Berk, Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown and Antoni Porowski back for season 5. Of the 10 new episodes, many of the heroes featured on Queer Eye are struggling business owners. And it's brought to light in the 2020 season that the heroes aren't the only ones who have gone through hardships when it comes to business.

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As viewers will know, Tan France deals with the fashion side of things when it comes to his role on Queer Eye. And his love of the French tuck, a capsule wardrobe and well-tailored clothes come with a whole lot of experience prior to joining the show. Tan certainly speaks from a place of wisdom as he has now sold all of his companies and retired at 33 years old, before making a career change to join Queer Eye. Tan founded women's swimwear brand Kingdom & State in 2011 and sold the company in 2017. He also had his designs purchased by huge fashion retailer Forever 21. As reported by Business Insider, because Tan is extremely frugal with his money and learnt every aspect of his business himself in order to avoid having to hire someone else to do the work, he managed to retire with a whole lot in the bank.

Tan France looking at jeans in Queer Eye

Speaking to Refinery29, Tan revealed that of his co-stars, Bobby is the next "most frugal" and the fashion guru put this down to the fact that both he and Bobby have run their own companies, thus understanding the value of money more. Bobby Berk covers all things design on Queer Eye. Bobby spoke of his business experiences during Queer Eye season 5 episode 10. Speaking to the owner of Bodyrock gym, Nate McIntyre, Bobby said, "I dropped out of high school at 15. I used to live in my car, I was homeless and now I have a furniture brand that's in stores all over the world." In 2019, Bobby collaborated with A.R.T furniture, creating his own line of pieces. And furniture giant Wayfair also features Bobby Berk Home furniture. Bobby's pieces can also be purchased through his website, bobbyberk.com. The Queer Eye star's aesthetic is described on the Wayfair website as an aesthetic that "epitomizes hip and urban luxury" and its designs "reflect a stylish and youthful spirit that perfectly fits any lifestyle."

Queer Eye season 5 episode 2 introduced Rahanna Gray and her company, Stylish Pooch. The Fab Five totally transformed Rahanna's life and as a result, her business was rebranded and boosted to further success. Bobby said to Rahanna, "I'm a small business owner, I made decisions that I thought were the best at the moment and then ended up costing me more money, so I get it." Tan said, "The first five years are always a sh**show, we can be a testament to that. When I was a business owner, I was struggling through my first few years of business. You get to the point where you can't see the woods for the trees, you don't know how to get out."

Tan added, "Bobby's hit hard times in business, I've hit really really hard times where I couldn't afford a coffee three years into my business. I never thought I'd end up making womenswear, I started out with menswear... I had a dream and it was way bigger than the one thing I was doing." Tan and Bobby's words of advice are particularly poignant as they have experienced some major lows themselves. Tan wrote in his memoir, Naturally Tan, that he felt "...depressed and suicidal while juggling three different clothing lines." Because he was trying to avoid being seen as a failure, Tan put a lot of pressure on himself, "he once called his husband to say he wanted to drive his car off a bridge."

Related: Queer Eye: Where Are The Season 6 Contestants Now?

Today, Tan has clearly shown that his entrepreneurial skills are second to none given that he's retired at 33 years old. Bobby has a furniture brand which is available to be purchased worldwide. Plus, the Queer Eye stars have shot to fame even further with the help of their inspiring Netflix series. With Bobby and Tan now having 2.6 and 3.7 million followers on Instagram respectively, it's safe to say that they are both success stories who worked super hard to get where they are today.

More: Where is Rahanna from Queer Eye? See the Stylish Pooch Owner Now

Source: Business InsiderRefinery29